Adolescent Dog Survival Thread - for teenage dirtbags

[Bupster]

I've buckled again, I can't take the pressure of being on page 40 😄

Awww, @VanGoSunflowers , it does sound as if you've got the right dog. You're doing brilliantly.
I'd say the difference in him is down to the fact that you've bonded - pup feels as if you are his for keeps! And that is such a lovely feeling, when they put their trust in you and can relax, it is the best thing about sharing your life with a dog.

Another gratuitous photo of the big girl, loafing. Sorry folks.

Aww this is so lovely, thank you ☺️

I’ve always loved dogs but I was not prepared for how much I would love my own and I haven’t even had him two weeks yet! I’m in trouble aren’t I 😂

Beautiful girl 😍

Thank you. She's very cute.

It sounds as if you are just as smitten with your boy as I am with my girl. That is honestly half the battle when you're struggling with them teething, or enduring the adolescent hooliganism. If you don't lose sight of the adult dog they will become (or the dog you know they can be), it makes a world of difference to how you deal with it all.

Pup's recall is still this enthusiastic

Looks like she’s taking a selfie 🤣

I mentioned recently that Vinny is not bothered about the cute little bunnies on the field. Well I was WRONG. I think he just hadn’t noticed them yet…

Cue last night, him disappearing in the undergrowth going absolutely batshit chasing the 20-odd bunnies he’d just scared off of the grass. I was convinced he was going to catch one!! He absolutely would not come back and after the longest 5 minutes of my life, I managed to grab his bum sticking up in the air and put him back on his lead 😡

Then dd stung her hand on some nettles and it was a whole thing so we promptly went home about 10 minutes after arriving for our walk.

TEENAGE DOGS ARE ANNOYING!!!!

@YorkshireFelix I did think there was something wrong with him. 😂 Short walk, but I bet Vinny was knackered after all the excitement.

My 3 year old has caught 4 or 5 furries - a mixture of young hares and rabbits. She then killed and eat every last morsel. That's fun! l'll keep walking and she'll keep within 6 feet of me. Nothing like passing other dog walkers with your sweet looking spaniel carrying half a dead rabbit.

I think dd would have been traumatised forever!! Yes he was shattered when we got back to the car so he must have had a lovely time…

My parents greyhound once caught a squirrel which is actually quite impressive considering she is horizontal for 23 hours of the day 😄

Ahhh @YorkshireFelix, it comes to us all. I remember so clearly the day pupsy discovered partridges – and the day she realised that if she ran after them it was fun!

Rabbits are fun though as they don't go far and ultimately vanish down holes so better to practice getting them to stop on than birds that take off and deer that just take the piss. I deliberately go and find rabbits (or rabbits five minutes ago) for her to practice on as it's such a fun yet safe hunting game.

Great photo @tizwozliz

Brie totally would be the selfie queen @YorkshireFelix 😆(whereas I understandably hide whenever I see camera or phone...!)

I have to admit that the fur and feather catching would bother me greatly... 😨

Every time I see a photo of Brie, she seems to be echoing my emotions.

Today feels like: ‘go away and leave me alone’ mixed with ‘give me love’

Good morning everyone!
@LandSharksAnonymous how are the new arrivals getting on?

Good Morning all,
I hope all is well with you and your little ones.
Damp here in Lancs this morning so probably another humid day.

Morning @VanGoSunflowers! still as perfect as ever (give me four weeks…).DMum is still here and helping out but she’s going home this weekend as my dad can’t cope with their dog (who may well be related to satan) alone for too long!

Horribly hot this morning! 😥How is anyone sleeping in this weather (and more importantly is anyone’s dog sleeping - minus the pups, mine were up all night)!

Glad you are coping @LandSharksAnonymous but I'm sure you've appreciated having your mum on hand. I can well imagine how much harder it gets once pups start running around. Was slightly tempted to ask if you bred your parents Satan dog...🤔But nah, better not... 😁

Are we allowed to ask what m/f pup ratio you generally have with your GR? I'm just curious because we've been told of a forthcoming litter that may interest us, but larger PMD litters usually seem to have more bitches and we're waiting for a dog... Can you reassure that some large breed litters do have boys...? I do fear we may be in for a long wait for a male pup.

As regards sleep in hot weather, Brie isn't too bad currently, often it's us waking her, but she is kind of a lazy arse. She's mostly on the tiled floor lately. The back of the house is west facing, so mornings are nicely cool for her. I'm struggling more than she is, June/July is asthma season for me, so I'm sofa sleeping because upstairs at the front is just too stuffy. I'm slightly dreading the coming days of heat, I must admit...😟

Well, that was weird!
A few minutes ago we heard an almighty big creaking, crashing noise, Brie jumped up and ran to the door. I thought our neighbours across the road were getting a log delivery tipped in the drive...
My chap shouted down from his upstairs office, that a massive branch has fallen off a huge (protected) Beech tree further down the road, right onto the pavement! No warning, it's not windy, so presumably just rot. Scary. Really lucky that nobody was walking past, dog walkers and people on the school run are always around at this time😨

We've had an hour in the woods at 7 this morning as they haven't had a longer walk for a couple of days now. It was already 21 on the drive home so a good decision.

If it helps your research @CoubousAndTourmalet , older pup was one of 9, 6 girls & 3 boys

Loving all the references to Satan 😂 sounds like you’re coping extremely well! But I guess that’s all the experience! I do have a lot of admiration for you all and how much you all know dogs!

Luckily sleep is ok here, my garden is south facing and the living room is at the front so it’s always cool. May try a gradual retreat tonight and sleep on the actual sofa rather than on the floor next to the crate. My DS is back at his dad’s house until Sunday morning so he won’t be disturbed by any potential noise.

It’s good actually that I get on with ExH so well - he loves dogs but can’t have one because of his work but he’s keen to build a bond with my pup and be able to take him for walks etc and seeing as I also see him as my son’s puppy, it’s important for him to get used to their house and their company (not that it seems difficult because he loves literally every human he meets ☺️) I also trust him to follow my guidance! He watched him for a good few hours on Sunday and I asked him ‘please make sure he sleeps for most of it” 😂

My friend watched him for an hour the other week with the same instruction and I came back to her using up nearly an entire bag of treats to teach him to ‘spin’ in a circle. I wasn’t happy! Overtired, overstimulated puppy that’s had too many treats learning a ‘trick’ that isn’t at all useful 🤦‍♀️

Sorry for the long rambling post 😂

@CoubousAndTourmalet glad Brie is getting enough sleep and hope you aren’t suffering too much with your asthma!

So weird about the branch and so glad nobody was hurt!

Morning all.
Everyone moaning about hot weather - move to Scotland! It's raining here. Again.

@LandSharksAnonymous Glad to hear mum and pups are doing well.

@CoubousAndTourmalet That's scary. Lucky no one was around.

We had a lovely walk yesterday. We went to a woods I don't go to very often. Both dogs were really good, running constantly but not straying far.
Then puppy went lame. Checked her paw, but couldn't see anything in it. (I need to start taking my glasses out with me.) She limped on for a while, but then sat down with her foot in the air and refused to walk any further. So I had to carry her back to the car. And that is why I am glad she weighs less than 8kg.
When we got home, she ran around the garden and jumped the wall to say hello to the neighbour, so no idea what the limping was about.

Love that photo! Glad you had a nice cool walk ☺️

@VanGoSunflowers - spin can actually be useful, if you can get them to spin on a mat by the back door it drys their paws off quite nicely.

I didn’t think of that. It’s a high possibility that I am mildly sleep deprived and being a bit sensitive so I didn’t say anything. I just didn’t want him to be overloaded with new commands in his first couple of weeks but then that might not be a thing?
So far I have taught him the basics - sit, lie down, stay, in your bed, off (😂), leave it - and am reinforcing these every time we do a session.